Turkey has intensified its drone and artillery bombardment on areas in north and northeast Syria over the past two weeks, killing dozens of people, including officials of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES), North Press News Agency reported.

In northwest Syria, Russian warplanes have heavily bombed the countryside of Latakia and Idlib, killing many civilians as a result.

Hasan Muhammad Ali, a member of the SDC Executive Committee, described the recent Turkish strikes in north and northeast Syria, especially those targeting AANES officials, as a “dangerous escalation.”

Ali believed that the Turkey’s goal for the Astana meeting was “to eliminate the AANES’ presence in the region.”

The official pointed out that the Syrian government should not agree with foreign countries to implement interests at the expense of the Syrian people, arguing that its silence indicates “political bargains” that would return Syria to zero.

The official believed that the situation does not allow for a ground attack, but the military escalation aims to “create a state of panic and fear in the region, force the population to migrate, and prevent AANES’ institutions to consolidate itself in North and East Syria.”